Over diagnosed, over medicated

What used to be thought of as normal grieving, sensitive personalities or stress reactions to stressful situations are now routinely viewed as “mental disorders.” Once diagnosed, what passes for therapeutic treatment is, too often, the peddling of pills.
Here are three normal responses to life events that are often inappropriately diagnosed as mental disorders.

1. “My husband passed away almost a year ago and I still miss him so much. There are times I feel like there’s not much purpose to my life anymore. We were married for 42 years. It’s tough to fall asleep without him at my side. And it’s tough for me to feel like cooking when I have to eat alone.”
This is a normal bereavement reaction. The proposed new DSM code, however, states that these may be signs of a major depressive episode. Why? It’s as though our standard for bereavement is now quick, like everything else in our lives. Nothing to it! A piece of cake! Okay, mourn. But return to your old life in a week, a month, three months. You need more time than that? Well, perhaps you should take anti-depressants. Good for the drug companies. Not good for the bereaved individual.

2. “I tend to be nervous in some social situations. While my friends are up for any new venture, I become anxious when I don’t know where I’m going or who I’m going with. Last week I was feeling keyed up and irritable when my friends pressured me into meeting them at a bar after work. Though I acquiesced to their pressure, I really just wanted to go home and curl up with a good book.”
Everyone is not a party animal. Or an extrovert. No one should feel stigmatized for disliking group gatherings. No one should be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder for preferring reading to partying. No one should be prescribed anti-anxiety meds because they feel uncomfortable in a social situation. Let’s stop pathologizing those who don’t fit into the dominant lifestyle.